Ammo Quest 9mm: Hornady Critical Duty 135 +P test

Fifth in a series of a quest to find the overall best ammunition for modern 9mm pocket pistols (such as the Sig Saur P938, Taurus PT709, the Ruger LC9, Kahr CM9, Beretta Nano, Kel-Tec PF9 or S&W Shield or any other popular 9mm micro-pistol using a barrel length of approximately 3").

In this test, the ammo performed fairly poorly, delivering inconsistent expansion and two of the five rounds exceeding the maximum 18" limit, with one failing to exhibit any expansion at all. Also, annoyingly, I didn't turn on the video camera to record the chronograph speeds for two of the five rounds, so we only have chrono readings for three of them.

Note: I'm not making any claims for these videos other than that these are the results I achieved, in my own testing, from the stated pistol. I have no intention to make a blanket endorsement or indictment of any product, only to review and report what I found in a given instance. Obviously it is incumbent upon each individual to conduct their own research and make up their own mind about which defensive ammunition is best for their own purposes, in their own firearms.

The purpose of this testing is to find which rounds of ammo perform well enough from a short 3" barrel that they can reliably deliver the penetration (with expansion) that has been documented and proven necessary in order for the bullet to be able to reach the vital organs of an attacker and deliver an incapacitating hit.